• Tag Archives retrocomputing

  • PC Magazine (May 28, 1985)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: PC Magazine – May 28, 1985

    Not only were 1980s issues of PC Magazine quite large (this one is around 375 pages), for a while it was also published every other week. The May 28, 1985 issue includes:

    Cover Stories

    • Plug-ins: The Inside Story – Some of the best add-in devices including hard drives and half-height floppy drives, and backup devices such as tape drives (these weren’t officially supported by IBM until the XT and PCjr came along).
    • Installing Megabytes in Minutes – A comparison of some of the hard drives available for the PC, including the Mountain Computer XT Internal, Micro Design IS 10, Falcon Technology PC Extender, Everex Everdisk, Quadram QuadDisk (12 MB), Sigma Designs HHK-02000, Kamerman Labs Megaflight, Micro Design IS 30, and Quadram QuadDisk (72 MB).
    • Portability Meets Privacy – A comparison of available removeable-cartridge hard disk systems including the Genie XL 10P, Quadram QuadDisk, IDEAssociates IDEAdisk, and Tecmar PC-Mate. These all coast in the neighborhood of $2000 for a storage capacity of 5 to 10MB per cartridge.
    • Double Your Driving Pleasure – A comparison of half-height floppy drives for the PC including the Panasonic JU-455, Control Data 9428, TEAC FD-55B-01-U, and QUME QumeTrak 142.
    • An Up-Front Approach to Backup – A comparison of internal tape drives for the PC including the Everex EXCELL 4500, Micro Design MT 10, Mountain Computer FSI60-AT, Sigma Designs STK-45, and Tecmar QIC-60-AT.
    • New Frontiers for Add-in Technology – A look at some technologies so new that IBM does not officially support them (but that didn’t mean you couldn’t use them…if you had the money). These include quad-density floppy drives such as the Tandon TM64-4, embedded servo drives such as the TeamMate 1103, and CD-ROM technology.

    Features

    • OmniTel’s Encore Performance – A look at the Encore 1200B Hayes compatible internal modem (1200bps for only $449).
    • Get Smart with MaxThink – MaxThink is a “thought processor”, a category of software designed to sort out the pros and cons and other factors for making choices.
    • 2001: Futuristic Accounting? – 2001 from FIS is an accouting package designe for small businesses.
    • Macro Dynamos for the PC – A comparison of two pieces of software for creating macros: ProKey 3.0 and SmartKey 4.1.
    • Fine-Tuning Your Sales Technique – A review of The Sales Manager, software for tracking clients, expenses, commissions, and more.
    • Perfect Components: All in the Family – The Perfect series is an integrated software package with the advantage that you can buy only the components you need.

    Pro Columns

    • Finding Anything Anywhere – A type-in BASIC program for searching text in files on your disk.
    • Keeping the Wolves at Bay – A look at a bankruptcy-reorganization program from Arthur Anderson & Co. called The Reorganization Model.
    • Banking on Your Computer – Online banking has been around longer than you might think. In 1985, you could access your accounts via dial-up to systems such as PRONTO.
    • Restoring Matrix Commands to BASIC – The original Dartmouth BASIC including matrix functionality but this was cut when BASIC was created for PCs. Matrix 100 is a BASIC software package that adds back these BASIC matrix commands.
    • Enter at Your Own Risk – A review of The Computer-Assisted Investment Handbook which includes 50 type-in investment programs.
    • The Organized Writer – ThinkTank is software designed to help in planning the structure of writing projects.

    Departments

    • PC News – IBM enters the “phone-computer” market; IBM cuts prices and releases new XT models; AT&T’s STARLAN; Ericcsson releases 15-pound portable computer for $2995; Kodak makes offer for Verbatim; electronic mail privacy issues; Japan’s new PC JX (sort of a Japanese version of the PCjr), and much more.
    • The Mouse That Roared – Editors at PC Magazine experiment with using a mouse.
    • Letters to PC – Letters from readers about Professional BASIC, user software rights, sending files by modem vs. LAN, BBS lists, and more.
    • Complementary Comments – A look at new printers from IBM (Wheelprinter and Quietwriter Printer), the advantages of using non-IBM hard drives with the IBM AT, and a look at IBM’s new Enhanced Graphics Adapter.
    • User-To-User – Using the IBM’s low resolution graphics mode (160 x 100).
    • New On The Market – A look at new PC related items on the market including the EIT-PS Personal Scanner, Modemphone, new half-height removable cartridge drives, PcOS 100 dot matrix printer, Star Cal II (database of celestial events through 1990), and more.
    • Taming a Wild Language – A review of the book Assembly Language Safari on the IBM PC: First Explorations by John Socha.

    …and more!


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  • Maximum PC (August 2005)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Maximum PC – August 2005

    Maximum PC, which start its life as boot, was my favorite PC magazine. It was oriented towards ‘enthusiasts’ such as gamers and those who like to build their own PCs, overclock, etc. It was published up until a a few years ago. The August 2005 issue includes:

    Regulars

    • In/Out – Letters from readers about choosing a video card for Quake 4, video card benchmarks, Quake III on a multi-core CPU, the Pentium D, DVD-R vs. DVD+R, and more.
    • Quick Start – ATI introduces crossfire; ATI releases 10 new drives including internal, external and portable models; Windows Mobile 5.0 released for PDAs and smartphones; DisplayPort standard announced; Athlon 64 X2 series replaces single core models; and more.
    • Head2Head – A look at the AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ vs. the Intel Pentium Extreme Edition 840.
    • WatchDog – Maximum PC investigates industry issues including D-Link router problems, counterfeit copies of Windows XP, motherboard warranties, and more.
    • How To – A guide to protecting yourself from Phishing and Pharming.
    • Ask the Doctor – Questions answered about USB ports on the A7V333 motherboard, ethernet on the Asus P4P800 motherboard, power supply issues, case filters, and more.
    • In the Lab – Testing the 64-bit version of Windows XP.
    • Rig of the Month – A PC custom designed to look like something recovered off of a derelict space ship in Alien.

    Reviews

    • Desktop PC: MMC Modular PC – A modular PC that requires a docking station to work. It includes 1 GHz Transmeta Crusoe TM5800 CPU, 512MB of DDR RAM, 20GB hard drive, Silicon Motion 3DR graphics processor, and more for $1900.
    • 512MB videocards – A look at both the Sapphire Hybrid X800 XL and XFX GeForce 6800 Ultra 512MB. At the time 512MB video cards to offer much advantage over 256MB models.
    • Water-cooling Kit: Koolance Exos 2 – This liquid CPU cooler includes a unit with radiator, fans ad digital display that mounts on top of your case.
    • PDA: PalmOne LifeDrive – The unique features of this Palm based PDA was the 4GB internal hard drive.
    • External Hard Drive: Seagate 400GB – A highly rated and very large for the time external drive.
    • Video Editing Suite: Turtle Beach Video Advantage USB – A USB device and software that allows you to capture analog composite and S-Video with stereo audio.
    • Personal Video Player: Ovideon Aviah 5GB – A portable video player with a 2.2″ OLED screen, 5 GB of storage, and built-in TV Tuner.
    • Digital Cameras – Reviews of the Kodak EasyShare Z740 and the Leica Digilux 2.
    • Wireless Headphones: Sennheiser RS140 – A mediocre pair of wireless headphones.
    • MP3 Player: Gateway 6GB MP3 Photo Jukebox – A 6GB MP3 player that could also store and display digital photos.
    • USB Keys – A look a couple of USB thumb drives including the M-Flyer TravelDrive and CryptoStick USB 2.0.
    • DV Disc-Mastering Suite: Easy Media Creator 7.5 – One of the most popular pieces of software for mastering CDs.

    Gaming

    • Cold Fear – A port of a console survival horror game.
    • Guild Wars – A very popular MMORPG.
    • Pariah – A first person shooter with questionable AI.
    • SWAT 4 – A squad based game in which you command a SWAT team.

    Features

    • Heal Your PC! – Reviews of 23 utilities to prevent and cure viruses and other malware.
    • Picture This! – A review of 11 LCD monitors including the BenQ FP19V+, Eizo L778, Formac, Hewlett Packard L2035, LG L1980Q, Norcent LM-960, Philips 190P5, Planar PX212M, Samsung 193P, Sony SDM-HS95P, and Viewsonic VP191b.
    • Taming the SATA Beast – Understanding the differences between SATA 150, SATA II, and SATA 3G.

    …and more!


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  • PC World (January 1987)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: PC World – January 1987

    If you had a PC (meaning an IBM PC or compatible) or were thinking of getting one in the 1980s or 1990s, then PC World would probably have been a magazine you would have wanted. The January 1987 issue includes:

    Getting Started

    • PC to PC – A guide to using a modem and terminal software to communicate between PCs.

    Community

    • PC Users Unite! – A guide to PC user groups.

    Review

    • Compaq Deskpro 386: Dare to Be Great – At the time, this was probably one of the best computers you could by, though it wasn’t cheap with a starting price of $6499. Compaq was the first major PC maker to use the 386 chip, beating IBM to the punch.
    • Fast-Talking Modems – A look at a couple of modems that use proprietary protocols to achieve speeds of 12000bps. They are very expensive though with a cost of up to $2395 and not compatible with other modems above 9600bps.
    • Mainframe Copycats – A look at five different terminal programs that emulate VT100 on the PC. These include Persoft SmarTerm 240 Version 1.1, KEA Systems Zstempc-VT100 Version 2.6, Polygon poly-COM/240 Version 1.12, Coefficient Systems Vterm III Version 1.4, and General Micro Systems PC4010 Version 2.0. VT100 emulation would become common across all terminal software.
    • PCs Teach the VAX New Tricks – A look at Datability’s Remote Access Vacility which is software that goes beyond basic terminal functions when used to access a VAX system from a PC.
    • A Bold New Fact – A look at the AST TurboLaser printer which has the ability to emulate a variety of other printers.
    • Alpha/three: Simple, Powerful, Compatible – A review of the Alpha/three DBMS which is compatible with and cheaper (if somewhat slower) than dBASE.

    Hands On

    • The Tailored Tabloid – Using Microsoft Access scripting to create personalized newspapers.
    • 1-2-3 Budget Tune-Up – A look at a 1-2-3 based app for incorporating sales and cost figures into your budget forecasts.

    Departments

    • David Bunnell – A look at some of the most influential people in the PC World. Some of the names here include John Sculley, Bill Gates, Gary Kildall, Michael Dell, and Trip Hawkins among others.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about legal attempts to prevent renting software, tape backup systems, offshore support, The Mist (game from Mindscape), PCs in Czechoslovakia, and more.
    • Harry Miler – A look at the evolution of desktop publishing.
    • PC World View – Bill Gross talks about HAL (Human Access Language), a English language front end for 1-2-3; results of a survey of PC users; Ashton-Tate seeks to become world’s leading source of software; and more.
    • Product Outlook – A look at recent and upcoming products including RapidFile, Wang LapTop, Crosstalk Mark 4, HAL, Ontio 259, and more.
    • From the Software Shelf – First impressions of recent software releases including WordPerfect Library, The Norton Commander, Webster’s New World Writer, BitCom, and more.
    • From the Hardware Shelf – First impressions of recent hardware releases including the Multitech Accel 900 286 based computer, the Sharp PC-7000 “portable” computer, the Core XT26 (26 MB hard drive), Orchid TurboEGA video accelerator, and more.
    • Password: Communicate – A guide to choosing the right 9600bps modem for your application; comparing time and cost on various online services with 300bps vs. 1200bps modems; phone companies having issues with automatic redial; and more.
    • The Help Screen – Questions answered about dealing with the lack of an 8-bit communications protocol when sending documents with 8-bit characters, serial port configuration, and recording computer images to a VCR.
    • *.* – A BASIC program for generating banners, quicksort routines, and more.
    • Kevin Strehlo – Addressing concerns about the IBM PC standard fragmenting.

    …and more!


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